 |
US Soldiers in Bosnia Pray For Peace on Memorial Day
TUZLA AIR BASE, Bosnia, May 27, (AP) — To the sounds of a gospel choir singing a Civil War hymn, U.S. forces honored their dead on Monday and prayed for peace in Bosnia. “Keep faith with our fallen comrades,” Maj. Gen. William L. Nash, commander of U.S. forces in Bosnia, told a Memorial Day observance at his headquarters. “They died in the service of their nation, pursuing a noble cause — peace in Bosnia.”
A 20-voice gospel choir joined soloist Sgt. First Class Elemenia L. Johnson, 24, of Stockton, Calif., in a rousing rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, with its chorus of “Glory, Glory Hallelujah.” Nash took off his glasses and wiped his eyes after the hymn, sung to 150 representatives of the 16,000 U.S. troops in Bosnia. He said that the Bosnia deployment had added the names of two American soldiers killed in Bosnia to “the roll call of honor.”
Sgt. 1st Class Donald Dugan, 38, of Belle Center, Ohio, was killed Feb. 3 in the explosion of a land mine he apparently was trying to defuse. Specialist Floyd Bright, 19, of Houston, died March 22 when the truck in which he was riding ran off a temporary bridge. “We’ll remain on the path of peace by successfully deterring war,” Nash said. “At the same time, may the sacrifice of our gallant service members always remind us that the American heritage of liberty remains more precious than peace.”
He said a recent description of Bosnia conveyed the same sense of loss after the American Civil War, the first war commemorated by Memorial Day:
“Civil war has scarred a beautiful land. Great armies have clashed; thousands have died or been horribly wounded; people have been imprisoned and their houses burned. Entire cities have been laid waste and bloodlines have been wiped out. The very fabric of society has been torn apart.”
During the 35-minute ceremony, six different prayers for peace were read for different faiths — Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian. The Memorial Day observance in Bosnia allowed U.S. forces a small break in tight discipline to enjoy the sunshine and have hamburger and hot-dog barbecues. |
Berserkistan, Feb 14 · First U.S. Casualty in Bosnia Laid to Rest in Ohio
Berserkistan is a world news service of Michael Linder Productions, Inc.
©1995-1996, All Rights Reserved